CBH proceeds with winter weather exercise planning

HOISINGTON - On Wednesday morning, Clara Barton Hospital Director of Nursing Jane Schepmann facilitated a winter weather exercise for emergency service personnel from throughout Barton County.

Claflin Elementary School hosts KWEC

CLAFLIN - Studying the lives of bees, along with other creatures, Claflin Elementary School students learned all about Kansas state facts from the educators at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center on Thursday last week.

Learning about Kansas

The Individual Retirement Account Charitable Rollover, first enacted by Congress in 2006, expired in 2009. However, in the new tax bill signed by President Barack Obama, the IRA Charitable Rollover provision has been extended through 2011. This provision allows individuals 70 1/2 or older to make tax-free gifts of up to $100,000 to qualified charitable organizations, like Clara Barton Hospital Foundation, using funds transferred directly from their traditional IRAs or Roth IRAs. Beginning ...

Council holds meeting

HOISINGTON - At its meeting Monday night, the Hoisington City Council approved ordinances establishing guidelines for handling health nuisances in the city. It was the consensus of the council to hire a Public Officer for 5-10 hours a week at a wage of $10-$12 per hour.

Candidates file for area positions

Noon on Tuesday was the filing deadline for those interested in running for various school board, city council and hospital board positions in Barton County. The regular election is April 5.

USD 112 moves ahead with computer purchase iniative

HOLYROOD - At its regular meeting on Monday night, USD 112 Board of Education heard a proposal for providing all students and teachers from ninth to twelfth grade with Macintosh laptop computers. Superintendent Steve Woolf is checking on compatibility with the district's servers, cost of new servers, and the possibility of purchasing laptops early for teachers to learn the system. The price of the laptops is currently below $200,000. The district ...

Students serve up snacks

HOISINGTON - Hoisington High School student Chaz Stephens was hungry one day, and he and fellow classmate Drew Reisner along with Principal Meg Wilson brain-stormed a plan last fall to begin serving healthy snacks at a reasonable cost to students mid-morning. The students are finding that good nutrition makes a difference.

Ellinwood debaters find success

ELLINWOOD - Over the years, the Ellinwood High School debate and forensics teams have achieved great success, and the students give credit to coach Julie-Ann Jacobs and hard work. The students involved begin work in the summer, attending a workshop and spending many hours researching their topics.

Students serve snacks

HOISINGTON - Hoisington High School student Chaz Stephens was hungry one day, and he and fellow classmate Drew Reisner along with Principal Meg Wilson brain-stormed a plan last fall to begin serving healthy snacks at a reasonable cost to students mid-morning. The students are finding that good nutrition makes a difference.

Gambino's Pizza to reopen

HOISINGTON - Gambino's Pizza restaurant has reopened under new ownership Thursday, and will be offering more menu items and different hours.

CBH Foundation holds annual meeting

HOISINGTON - The Clara Barton Hospital Foundation held its annual meeting on Monday and heard status reports as well as a program by Dr. Joshua Durham called, "Lend a Healthy Hand." The foundation has seen growth this year.

Honor Roll

Toddler diagnosed with cancer

A few months ago, Kaito Richter of Great Bend, was a normal healthy little boy full of energy. Then his mother, Amber Beverley, noticed a lump in his leg that did not go away.

A teacher who touches tomorrow

HOISINGTON - Andrea Dolezal, Hoisington Middle School science and social studies teacher, received the Kansas Horizon Award sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education. The award identifies and recognizes exemplary first-year teachers who perform in a way that distinguishes them as outstanding.

Turf donation

Step into the dark recesses of the mind

ELLINWOOD - Step into the deeper, darker reaches of the mind at the "Fine Wine , Good Friends and a Wicked Murder" at 6 p.m. on May 31 in Ellinwood at Lone Wolf Restuarant, the event opening the weekend for the 2nd annual June Jaunt. The cost of a ticket is $20 and only 50 will be sold and are available from the Ellinwood Chamber of Commerce.

Copper recycling

Copper recycling can be a good thing coming out of old air conditioning or plumbing during replacement. Copper is a non-renewable resource, and apparently recycled copper is worth nearly as much as new copper.

Hoisington City Council discusses animal control

HOISINGTON - The Hoisington City Council decided at its regular meeting last week to continue the animal control options the way they currently are. The city currently takes all stray animals to the Hoisington Veterinary Hospital. The council had looked at a proposal to take care of the animals by the city as a cost saving measure, but turned it down.

City of Ellinwood to purchase property

ELLINWOOD - The Ellinwood City Council, at its regular meeting on Tuesday, agreed to purchase 11-12 acres of property from Alfred Pohlman for $3,600. The property is located north of 7th St. It is west of Kennedy and north of the water tower.

Hoisington to host annual ‘Mud Run’

HOISINGTON - Engines will once again roar as drivers try to drive through the mud at the fourth annual Mud Run at 1 p.m. on June 1 in Hoisington, south of the railroad track on the east side of U.S. 281. It will be held in conjunction with the Kansas Mud Racing Organization.

USD 355 board taking steps for iPad initiative

ELLINWOOD - The USD 355 School Board, at its regular meeting Monday night, agreed to take another step in the iPad initiate. Currently, about twenty percent of the certified staff have iPads. The board agreed to buy approximately 30 more so that the remaining staff would have an iPad.

Foreign tourism developing in Barton County

Travel writer Matt Bates of Scotland and Lisa Weigt, International Program director for Kansas/ Oklahoma Travel and Tourism recently toured Barton County.

Living a "Glass half-Full' Life

In the early 2000s, like so many up and coming children of the prairie, Ellinwood native J. Basil Dannebohm, had the bright lights of the city shining in his eyes.

School board makes appointments

ELLINWOOD - At its regular monthly meeting, the USD 355 school board made two appointments to the new Ellinwood Recreation Commission Board of Directors. They were Mel Waite for four years, and Rob Fisher for one year. The ERC will soon begin planning a budget, hiring a director, and making plans for 2014.

Soaring with Eagles

America's Promise and DARE contest essay winners soared to the highest height on Saturday when members of the Experimental Aircraft Club in Great Bend took them on a 15-20 minutes airplane ride over Great Bend.

Just swinging